This invention relates to new and useful improvements in drainage system installations, particularly installations made in buildings used for processes requiring a relatively large amount of water which has to be drained away and either disposed of or recirculated.
Such systems may include but are not limited to car washes, abbatoirs, fresh vegetable treatment areas, canneries, and the like.
Conventionally, such drainage systems consist of trenches formed in the floor, and concrete or metal lined during the installation of the floor, with expanded metal gratings covering same. These are not only extremely labour intensive in installation due to the requirement of maintaining the necessary drainage slope to the trenches but also suffer from disadvantages such as breakage particularly when extensive vehicular traffic is present such as forklifts, trucks and the like. Furthermore such gratings often become clogged with debris which is difficult to remove. Such installations are also difficult to clean as the gratings have to be removed so that the trench or trough can be washed or scraped clean.
The present invention overcomes these and other disadvantages by providing a metal lined trough situated below floor level with a relatively narrow slot acting as the water entrance to the trough and one aspect of the invention is to provide a culvert assembly for use in a trench type floor drain system comprising in combination a pair of longitudinally extending upper members in spaced and parallel relationship thereby defining an elongated drainage slot therebetween, a culvert component secured to and depending from said members, said culvert component including a trough-like base portion and side flange portions extending upwardly therefrom, one from each side edge of said trough-like base portion and being secured by the upper edges thereof, one to each of said upper members, depth registration and support anchor members extending outwardly from the sides of said culvert component and spaced along the length thereof, said depth registration and support anchor members all being equidistantly spaced downwardly from said upper members.
Another aspect of the invention is to provide a culvert section for a culvert assembly in a trench type floor drain system, said section comprising in combination a pair of spaced and parallel, longitudinally extending upper, right angled members defining a drain slot therebetween and a culvert component secured to and depending from said members with the slot operatively communicating with the interior of said culvert component, said culvert component including a trough-like base portion and side flange portions extending upwardly from each longitudinal side edge of said base portion, the upper edges of said side flange portions being secured one to each right angled member.
A still further aspect of the invention is to provide a method of forming a culvert assembly for use in a trench type floor drain system which comprises the steps of forming a trench in the floor, placing a plurality of support pegs on each side of the base of the trench at spaced intervals therealong and with the upper ends of the support pegs being substantially the same distance below the floor, laying the culvert assembly in said trench with said culvert assembly including a pair of spaced and parallel upper members defining an elongated slot therebetween and a culvert component extending below said upper members and being secured thereto and including depth registration and support anchor members extending outwardly from the sides of said culvert assembly, said anchor members registering upon the upper ends of said support pegs, securing the anchor members to the upper ends of said support pegs, laying reinforced steel along the ground surface and across said trench and under said culvert assembly pouring concrete in said trench and under said, culvert and upon the floor, finishing the surface of the concrete on said floor sloping downwardly towards and flush with the upper sides of said upper members.
A further advantage of the system is that the sections of the complete length can be prefabricated and can be readily installed by relatively unskilled labour, the positioning thereof depending upon design parameters.
A still further advantage of the invention is to provide a device and method of the character herewithin described which is simple in construction, economically manufactured and otherwise well suited to the purpose for which it is designed.
With the foregoing in view, and other advantages as will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which this invention relates as this specification proceeds, the invention is herein described by reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, which includes a description of the best mode known to the applicant and of the preferred typical embodiment of the principles of the present invention, in which: